Buffer for railway-cars.



No. 638,244. Patented Dec. 5, I899.

J. A. HINSON. I

BUFFER FOR RAILWAY CABS.

(Applipa'tion filed Mar. 2, 1897. Renewed May 2, 1899.) (No Model.) 2 SheetsShe'et l.

W/TNESSES lN'VENTOr? ATTORNEY.

No. 638,244. I Patented Dec. 5, I899.

J. A. HINSON.

BUFFER FOR RAILWAY CARS.

(Application filed Mar. 2, 1897. Renewed May 2, 1899.)

2 Shear-Sheet 2.

(N9 Model.)

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NITED rnrns ATENT JAMES A. I-IINSON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

BUFFER FOR RAILWAY-CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 638,244, dated December 5, 1899.

Application filed March 2, 1897. Renewed May 2, 1899. Serial No. 715,339. (No model.)

T0 at whom/ it petty concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES A. HINSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Buffers for Railway-Cars; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the in ventioh, such as will enable others skilled in the art to whichit appertains to make and use the same.

Thisinvention relates to bufiing devices for railroad-cars, and has forits object to provide a simple deviceof few parts adapted to maintain the buffer-plates of adjacent cars in contact at all times, both in buffing and pulling, and thus prevent persons getting caught between them and injured, and to take up lost motion; and it consists of the parts and combination of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure l is a plan View of my invention arranged in position under the platform of a car, the flooring of which being removed to show the same. Fig. 2 is a plan View of the front face of the bufferplate. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical section through the platform. Fig. 4 is a detail perspective View of the buffer-plate. Fig. 5 is a plan view of the follower-plate. Fig. 6 is a detail section through the center of the yoke and the end of the bar J. Fig. 7 is a side elevation of the inner ends of the yoke-arms. Fig. 8 is a plan view of the inner ends of the yokearms.

Similar letters refer to similar parts in all the views.

Referring to the drawings, A represents a car-platform, and B a buffer-plate arranged across the end of the same in line with the end timber O, and D a horizontal plate secured to and resting on the upper edge of the plate B. The edge of the plate D is formed with a recess a, and the plate B is formed with a corresponding projection b, which fits into said recess a and serves to strengthen the plate B and prevent it bending from the blows received in buffing, especially where it is used to receive the blows from the type of bufferhead known as the Miller, which is very narrow.

The buffer guide-rods E are connected to plate B, so as to permit of a rocking movement of the plate by means of the bolts 0, which also serve to connect or secure the plate D to said plate B, which extend through vertical perforations in plate B, intersecting openings 0?, into which the ends of rods E extend, and through eyes formed in said rods, thus jointing the rods E to the plate B, so that the latter may yield at either end. The guide-rods E extend through openings therefor in the end timbers O, and their rear portions are reduced to form shoulders 6, against which one end of the spiral springs f, mounted on said rods, abut or bear, the-other ends of said springs abutting against a collar g, loosely arranged on the rods E. The collars g are formed with a central ridge h, which fits in a recess orsemicircular groove '1', formed in the edges or sides of the armsjj of the yoke F, said arms being also formed with openings through which the ends of the rods E extend and which are secured against withdrawal by pins or keys 7c. The extreme ends of the armsjj extend into the grooved stops G, bolted to the side timbers H, and their rearward movement is limited thereby. The yoke is formed of the two arms j j, jointed or hinged together at their inner ends by a pin I, which also serves to connecta bar J to the yoke, for a purpose to be explained hereinafter.

As shown in Fig. 7, the arm j is formed circularly and perforated, as at n, to enter between the lugs or cars Z and with shoulders o to engage. the stops m, and thus limit the movement of the arms on the pin I. The arms jj are formed on the curved lines shown, so as to present the convex bearing-surface p, Fig. 1, and the concave bearing-surface q, and said arms extend through slotted openin gs 1 formed therefor in the draft-timbers L. The openings r are provided with the wearplates M, formed with the rounded ends 3, against which the concave surfaces q of the arms jj bear, and the ends of the followerplate N,which extend into the openings 4, bear against the convex surfaces p of said arms. The follower-plate N is reduced at each end, so as to form shoulders 25, which fit against the draft-timbers and guide the plate in its move ment. The follower-plate N is formed with a central opening a, into which the bufier-bar 0 extends, the opposite end of said bar extending through an opening in the end timber of the platform and into position to be struck by the buffer-plate B while butting, and a shoulder o, formed on said bar 0, bears against a small follower-plate P, arranged on said bar between said shoulder and the end of the buffing-spring Q, the other end of said spring Q bearing against the follower-plate N. The springsfon the rods E are so compressed when the cars are coupled as to bring the buffer-plate B against the front end of the center buffer-bar O.

The bar J, hereinbefore mentioned as connected to the yoke F, is formed with a split and perforated end a, so as to embrace the jointed or hinged ends of the arms, and extends backwardly .to the end of the drawbar of the coupler, to which it is bolted,as at b, or in any other suitable manner. The carcoupler R proper here shown may be of the usual or of any desired type or form and is connected in the usual manner with the drawspring 0 and follower-plates d, which are also arranged so as to slide in the draw-bar guides bolted to the draw-bar timbers and form no part of my present invention.

With the parts in the position shown in Fig. 1 any pull or forward strain on the coupler draws the yoke bodily forward against the pressure of the springs fand Q, so that in starting a train the buffer-plates of adjacent cars are kept firmly together or in direct contact and closing the space which would otherwise be left between them. When the cars are brought together in buffing, the bufferplates are driven back and the side springs f compressed, the coupler being also driven back at the same time, causing the bar J to draw back the center of the yoke F, thus throwing its arms forward and taking up lost motion and reducing the movement of the plates B; also, when the buffin g is heavy the bar 0 compresses the spring Q and coming in contact with the center of the yoke transmits, through the bar J, the strain or a portion of the strain imparted thereto to the draw-spring 0, thus bringing into action all four springs to resist the strain.

Owing to the fact that the yoke-arms are limited by the shoulders 0 on arm j engaging the stop m on arm j the yoke will be bodily moved forward by the bar J when the coupler is pulled forward, so that, it will be observed, buffing on the coupler causes the bar J to draw the inner jointed ends of the arms jj backward, which causes the outer ends of said arms to be thrown forward, thus holding the plates or reducing the lost motion which would otherwise occur between the buffingplates B. The follower-plate N with the aid of the spring Q prevents the yoke assuming angles when rounding curves, as happens with all buffing devices with which I am familiar, and which angular positions are maintained both in the yoke and the buffer-plates after the train gets straightened out, since no provision has been made to cause them to reassume their proper position.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isv 1. The combination, in a buffing device for railway-cars, of a centrally-jointed yoke connected to the ends of the buffer-plate, and a bar connected to said yoke and the draw-bar of the coupler, substantially as described.

' 2. The combination, in a buffing devicefor railway-cars, of a yoke, comprising two arms jointed together, one of said arms being provided with a stop and the other with a shoulder to limit the movement, guide-rods connecting said arms and the bu ffer=plate,springs arranged on said guide-rods, a central buffing-bar, a follower-plate, a spring arranged on said buffing-bar, and a bar connecting the yoke and the draw-bar of the coupler, substantially as described.

3. The combination, in a buffing device for railway-cars, of averticalbuffer-plate, a horizontal plate, guide-rods loosely jointed to said vertical plate, and a jointed yoke having its arms connected to said rods substantially as described.

4.. The combination in a buffing device, of the buffer-plate, guide-rods loosely pivoted thereto, springs for said rods, a yoke consisting of two arms pivoted together at one end, guiding-stops for the ends of said arms, bearings for said arms secured in the draw-timbers, a followerplate bearing against said yoke, a buifing-bar, a spring for said bar, and a bar connecting the center of said yoke and the draw-bar of the coupler, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES A. HINSON.

Witnesses:

A. O. OLDHAM, W. M. GREEN. 

